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Satisfy your cravings with this healthy and nourishing BLT Chicken Salad. It’s packed with fresh veggies, turkey bacon, and grilled chicken to capture the BLT flavor with fewer calories, fat, and carbs.
This BLT chicken salad recipe is a traditional lettuce salad, not a creamy mayo salad. It’s the perfect balance of crisp, crunchy, and filling. There are 41 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, and 440 calories to keep you feeling satiated and energized.
Plus, it’s perfect for warmer weather when the grill is on, but you also want crisp, cold veggies. Enjoy leftovers for lunch or eat the whole salad for dinner.
If you like protein-packed salad recipes, you will love my shrimp Greek salad and antipasto salad!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 30 Minutes: Grilling the chicken is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, and it takes less than 20 minutes. Once you add the chicken, chop the veggies, and mix the dressing, you have a healthy meal in less than 30 minutes.
- Packed with Protein: The chicken and turkey bacon pack this salad full of lean protein. There are 41 grams of protein, and less than 4 grams of saturated fat!
- Low Carb, Gluten-Free, and Paleo: This salad is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, and Paleo-friendly without any changes. That makes it perfect for a variety of lifestyles and diets.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the best option for this salad because they’re easiest to beat into thinner cutlets.
- Turkey Bacon: Turkey bacon is an excellent alternative to pork bacon because it is leaner, with half the fat and fewer calories. You can use pork bacon if you want, but turkey bacon is a healthier alternative.
- Lettuce: Use a crisp and crunchy romaine lettuce as the base since it’s more true to a BLT, but you can use whatever mixed greens you prefer.
- Fresh Veggies: This delicious BLT chicken salad uses shredded carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced summer squash. You could also use zucchini or cucumber!
- White Balsamic Vinegar: This is a lighter balsamic vinegar with a milder flavor. You can use regular balsamic, but you will need to use less since the flavor is much stronger.
- Dijon Mustard: A spicy mustard or Dijon adds a little zing and a burst of flavor to the salad. You can use it on any salad, but it’s amazing on this one!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Swap Out the Protein: Instead of grilled chicken, you can use shredded rotisserie chicken to make this salad easier. You could also make it with grilled shrimp, turkey, cooked ground chicken or tofu instead.
- Serve It On a Wrap or Rice: If you want something other than a salad, you can roll all these ingredients into a wrap, tuck them into a pita, or serve them over a bed of rice. If you want a low-carb option, use a low-carb wrap or serve it over cauliflower rice.
- Try a Different Dressing: Instead of the balsamic-mustard vinaigrette, try this salad with my low-fat ranch dressing! You could also use a low-calorie Italian dressing instead.
How to Make BLT Chicken Salad
This BLT chicken salad with bacon is the perfect salad for BLT lovers. It has all the same great flavors without all the excess calories. Before you get started, cook your turkey bacon according to the package instructions, pat it dry, and set it aside for later.
- Step 1: Pound Out the Chicken. Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap, then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken into 1” thick pieces.
- Step 2: Season the Chicken. Unwrap the chicken, lightly spray each piece with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Step 3: Grill the Chicken. Place your chicken breasts on the grill or in a grill pan. On the grill, cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes on the first side. For a grill pan, cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side.
- Step 4: Flip. Flip the chicken over and grill it for another 6-8 minutes. For the grill pan, flip it and cook for another 5-6 minutes. The chicken is finished when it reaches 165°F.
- Step 5: Make the Dressing. Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl by stirring. Then place the bowl in the refrigerator until the salad is assembled.
- Step 6: Assemble the Salad. Add the lettuce and veggies to a large salad bowl and toss them together. Roughly chop the bacon and sprinkle it on top. Then slice the chicken and add it to the salad as well. Drizzle the dressing over everything just before serving it. Serve with a slice of gluten-free oat bread.
Expert Tips
- Pat Bacon Dry: After the turkey bacon finishes cooking, use a paper towel to pat it dry to ensure it stays crispy and crunchy.
- Let the Chicken Rest: After the chicken finishes cooking, place it on a plate and let it rest unsliced while you assemble the rest of the salad. This helps ensure the chicken stays tender and juicy.
- Store Ingredients Separately: It’s best to enjoy this salad right away, but if you do want to store leftovers, be sure to store them separately. The veggies, chicken, and bacon will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days if stored separately.
- Make Extra Dressing: The dressing keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so you can make enough to drizzle over all of your salads for the whole week!
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy a healthy BLT chicken salad with your grilled chicken this summer, or all year round. It’s an easy recipe that makes a great, filling lunch or barbecue side dish. It’s high in protein and fiber and has less than 450 calories per serving. Pair this salad with your favorite summer recipes or easy dinners.
- Top your salad with some roasted chickpeas and vegetables for more protein and fiber.
- Make this salad for your summer barbecues and serve it with classics like this cottage cheese spinach and artichoke dip.
- There’s nothing better than a warm cobbler for dessert in the summer. Serve this low-calorie peach cobbler for dessert with your grilled chicken salad.
BLT Chicken Salad Recipe FAQs
If your chicken is dry, it’s either overcooked or you sliced it too soon. Use a meat thermometer to ensure you cook the chicken to 165°F. Also let the fully cooked chicken rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes before slicing it to give the muscle fibers time to reabsorb the moisture.
If your salad is watery, it’s probably from the vegetables. The lettuce, tomatoes, and squash all release moisture as they sit. Make the salad as close to serving as possible. You can also pat dry all your veggies and use a salad spinner to dry the lettuce to prevent it from turning watery.
The dressing may become thick after being refrigerated due to the mustard base. Try whisking in a little extra olive oil or a splash of water until it reaches a consistency you’re happy with.
More Delicious Chicken Salad Recipes
If you tried this BLT Chicken Salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
BLT Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Bacon:
- 2 slices Turkey Bacon, or pork bacon see note
- ¼ lb Chicken Breast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
For the Salad:
- 4 cups Romaine Lettuce, or mixed greens of choice
- ¼ cup Carrots, shredded
- 1 cup Summer Squash, diced with skin on
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
For the Dressing:
- ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ tablespoon White Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ cup Spicy Mustard, or dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook the turkey bacon according to package instructions. Remove from the pan, pat dry and set aside.
- Wrap the chicken breast in plastic wrap then using a mallet or back of a drinking glass flatten the breast evenly. Remove from the plastic wrap, lightly spray the chicken breast with olive oil then add salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Rub it into the chicken breast on both sides.
- Cook the chicken breast either on a grill or a grill pan. If using a grill pan, cook 10-12 minutes total (5-6 minutes on both sides) on medium-high heat. Remove from the grill once cooked and set aside on a plate.
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl, stir then place in the refrigerator to marinade while you prepare the salad.
- Prepare the salad by placing all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. Roughly chop the turkey bacon and add to the top of the salad. Slice the chicken breast and place on top. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately!
Notes
- Pat the bacon dry after it finishes cooking so it stays crispy and crunchy.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing it to give it time to reabsorb the juices and stay moist.
- If you plan to store leftovers, store the veggies, chicken, bacon, and dressing separately from each other to avoid sogginess.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like chicken. Will try chicken and bacon combination. :).
It’s so good!
you need a mountain vacation! With COLD! and rest! Feed me this and I will invite you. LOL!
Yes and gladly!
Bacon on salad is always a win, sounds great!
Thanks lady! Hope you had a great 4th.
I agree — I’ll take any excuse to eat more chicken and bacon! 🙂
This combination sounds delicious!
You and I are on the same page!
There are very few things better than super crispy crunchy bacon. Very, very few things.
I agree!